Rotring800 Mechanical Pencil 0.5 mm Silver

I felt obligated to write something about this pencil. This was one of the few times that I didn't read the reviews before ordering what seemed to be the perfect mechanical pencil. Just for the record, I wanted something that was fantastically solid, didn't roll away, and felt precise; I'm not a drafter, an engineer, nor an architect.... My career-life is digital, and I simply wanted something that made me smirk. I'm an avid fountain pen user, and have honestly never given carbon a chance since high school, but to be completely honest, my favorite ink (noodlers baystate blue) didn't work well for quick notes in my Midori passport notebook without inking the opposing back page before drying. I will defend ink to my grave, but for notes..... Yeah, I'm willing to give some slack.So this lead me into the idea of pencils, or rather, mechanical pencils! If you've looked for a high-end mechanical pencil, then you've undoubtedly stumbled across the rotring 600/800/800+ series. I personally don't want something to replace my finger, so I opted out of the 800+ and simple ordered the regular 800; I already mentioned: I'm not an engineer, drafter, nor architect.So for the regular person that is wanting to try a nice mechanical pencil..... How exactly does it feel? Simple! This thing feels better than anything else you've ever touched with a graphite core! I'll assume the readers have filtered themselves through a ton of mixed reviews, but I'll just say that unless you've handled some sort of ultra-simple and ultra-high-end drafting pencil..... The 800 will put a smile on your face. The second it touches the first page, you'll feel an immediate connection, or rather a full-blown obligation to excite your very own tactical page-dump. In a nutshell, you'll wish you owned something like this during your high school days.Does the lead break? No. I swam through over a hundred reviews that boasted the whole lead breaking thing, but I assumed it was because the fittings weren't properly tightened.... I actually feel like I was right. Right out of the mail box it was loose.... Pretty much all of the mechanics were loose in all honesty, but I tightened them before the 'lead' ever hit paper. I haven't had a single break yet. This isn't to say I'll never have one, but while I may not be a technical drawer, nor an engineer, I assume breaks come from wobbly pieces, and these are absolutely stone-solid once you tighten everything.It wobbles: it does, by definition, have a bit of play. With that said, the "play" is significantly less than any other mechanical pencil I've ever used. The guide tubes in every other mechanical pencil I've ever tried has significantly more play than what I'm seeing with the 800. This may move literally (in definition) a hairs-width when it hits the paper, but it is 1,000 times more precise and less playful than any other mechanical pencil I've ever used.... I'm just someone that wanted a fantastic mechanical pencil, not some engineer or drafter.It feels like a marshmallow when you advance the lead. Nope, my specific sample is crazy clicks and has insane advancement feedback. Idk if this has been improved, or if This is simply the mindset of someone that isn't in that type of career, but it isn't spongey like I've read at all. Keep in mind that I did tighten everything, so maybe that's why, but I'm not totally sure.The actual mechanics feel really solid. When you extract the tip, you realize this isn't some sort of cheap Zebra pencil. It is about 1/4th of a turn to manipulate the tip, and it is scary efficient. The second you hit paper with it you'll most definitely smile.In the end, I'm sure that, by definition, the 600 model will be more precise, but as someone that's not in that type of career where I need to draft or design..... This thing really does make you feel like you've been missing out on the world of graphite. Perhaps I received a premium example, I'm not sure, but after feeling the one I received, I am pretty sure I would return/swap this as many times necessary to eventually get a good one.... It's that nice.

I'll start this off by saying that I was skeptical about this pencil, but needed something to replace the pencils that I had gotten previously that all broke rather quickly for one reason or another. I was not disappointed.This pencil is solidly built- the barrel is all metal as stated (brass I believe), and has a good weight and feel in the hand. Most of the internals are metal, although there are some plastic parts, they re not part of the action of the actual pencil. The only plastic component that I can see is the led reservoir tube and eraser holder. The pencil in itself, is just a nice object in general, the lines that create the shape are simple but elegant and very pleasing to the eye, and it has a great and solid weight to it, making it great to write and draw with.It is worth noting- the first one I got did have a problem with breaking lead occasionally (I got a second one because the first- I thought- was stolen, although it turned up later), this was easily fixed by a small piece of tape around the part of the led sleeve that extends from the grip, and this completely solved the problem, and the pencil has not broken a single piece of led since I did this. The second pencil I purchased did not have this problem in the first place and functions perfectly.This pencil writes very well, as mentioned before although not quite as well as the Rotring 600 because the retractable tip inherently makes the system less "stiff" when writing. The Retractable tip though, is in my opinion a huge upside for my purposes, as I like to carry it around, something that is not recommended with the Rotring 600.Overall, I would highly recommend this pencil to anyone looking to get a reliable, aesthetically pleasing pencil that writes very well. It is a bit pricey, in my opinion worth every penny.

I've had a few of this model pencil over the past 20 or so years. Suffice to say it is one of my favorites for a mechanical pencil. The knurled grip provides traction without chewing away at your skin. It feels solid, well weighted, and overall gives a premium experience while writing out a quick note.I definitely prefer this 800 model over the lower models due to the retractable tip, which means I can carry it in my pocket without fear of damage if necessary. It currently lives on my office desk with some nice pens. It might cost more than your typical Bic mechanical pencil, but I've never worn one out, only lost them.

Absolutely love this product! The **quality** is top-notch, and it feels like it’s built to last. It’s proven extremely **reliable** so far, running smoothly without any hiccups. It also **looks great**—sleek and well-designed, definitely a nice addition to my setup. I've experienced a **zero crash rate**, which is impressive and speaks to the stability of the product. Every **function** works exactly as expected, and it delivers on all its promises. Best of all, the **installation was a breeze**—super straightforward with clear instructions. Easily a 5-star purchase!